Suspected Golden State Killer has ties to our area. Who is Joseph James DeAngelo?

A decade long search for the “Golden State Killer” may finally be over. A 72-year-old ex-police officer named Joseph James DeAngelo was arrested on two murder charges by police in Sacramento.
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In this June 15, 2016, file photo, law enforcement drawings of a suspected serial killer believed to have committed at least 12 murders across California in the 1970's and 1980's are displayed at a news conference about the investigation, in Sacramento, Calif.(Photo: Rich Pedroncelli, AP)

Former police officer Joseph James DeAngelo was arrested by Sacramento police Wednesday as the suspected Golden State Killer, accused of a series of rapes and homicides that terrorized California communities in the 1970s and 1980s.

The break came after FBI and California officials last year renewed their investigation and offered a $50,000 reward for an arrest and conviction. A task force was set up to crack one of the state's coldest cases.

"For over 40 years, countless victims have waited for justice," Sacramento County District Attorney Anne Marie Schubert said at the news conference Wednesday. "We all knew as part of this team that we were looking for a needle in a haystack, but we all knew the needle was there

"We found the needle in the haystack and it was right here in Sacramento. The answer was always going to be in the DNA."

Here is what we know:

What is he accused of?

DeAngelo was charged with eight counts of murder in three California counties. But authorities are trying to link him to 12 murders, 45 rapes and the ransacking of more than 100 area homes. Two murders and most of the sex assaults occurred in the three years he was an Auburn police officer outside Sacramento.

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Sacramento police believe they have caught the 'Golden State Killer'. The serial killer is blamed for 12 murders and 45 rapes over 30 years.
USA TODAY

Who is this guy?

DeAngelo was born in Bath, Steuben County, but graduated from Folsom High School in suburban Sacramento in June 1964. He enlisted in the Navy during the Vietnam War, returning home a decorated vet to earn an associate's degree in police science from Sierra College and a bachelor's degree in criminal justice at Sacramento State, the The Sacramento Bee reported. It is not known when he left New York.

When and where was he a police officer?

DeAngelo worked as a police officer for two California departments in the 1970s, first in Exeter and then Auburn. Some of the crimes were committed while he was an officer. Auburn police department fired DeAngelo in 1979 after he was arrested for stealing a hammer and a can of dog repellant from a store.

What do we know about his life since?

The picture is not complete, but DeAngelo had been living in the Sacramento suburb of Citrus Heights. He retired last year after working 27 years at a distribution center for Save Mart grocery stores, the chain confirmed. Neighbors said he built remote-controlled model airplanes and spent time working on his house and lawn.

Did he threaten his victims?

In May 1977, as the frequent attacks gained national attention, the rapist told a victim he would kill two people if his attack reached the media. Less than a year later, after several more assaults, Brian and Katie Maggiore were fatally shot in Rancho Cordova on Feb. 2, 1978, while walking their dog.

What evidence led police to him?

Authorities began revisiting the case in 2016, around the time of the 40th anniversary of the first known attack. New DNA techniques and more complete DNA databases recently allowed investigators to tie the various cases together and lead them to their suspect. He was then under surveillance for six days as police studied his movements to see how he might react if confronted, Sacramento county Sheriff Scott Jones.

Includes reporting by staff writer Victoria E. Freile and The Associated Press